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Editorial Reviews

American Beauty (BD)

Noted theater director Sam Mendes, who was responsible for the acclaimed 1998 revival of Cabaret and Nicole Kidman's turn in The Blu e Room, mad e his motion picture debut with this film about the dark side of an Amer ican family, and about the nature and price of be auty in a culture obse ssed with outward appearances. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham, a man in his mid-40s going through an intens e midlife crisis; he's grown cyni cal and is convinced that he has no reason to go on. Lester's relationsh ip with his wife Carolyn (A nnette Bening) is not a warm one; while on t he surface Carolyn strives to present the image that she's in full contr ol of her life, inside she feels empty and desperate. Their teenage daug hter Jane (Thora Birch) is constantly depressed, lacking in self-esteem, and convinced that she's unattractive. Her problems aren't helped by h er best friend Angela (Mena Suvari), an aspiring model who is qui te bea utiful and believes that that alone makes her a worthwhile person. Jane isn't the only one who has noticed that Angela is attr active: Lester ha s fallen into uncontrollable lust for her, and she becomes part of his d rastic plan to change his body and change h is life. Meanwhile, next doo r, Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper) has spent a lifetime in the Marine Corps and can understand and tolerate no other way of life, which makes life difficult for his son Ricky (Wes Bentley), an aspiring filmmaker and pa rt-time drug dealer w ho is obsessed with beauty, wherever and whatever it may be. American Beauty was also the screen debut for screenwriter Al an Ball.

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Kevin Spacey deserved the Academy Award he received for this film. Who else could play Mr. Everyman, a loser who has lost the respect of his wife and daughter and coworkers but fights to get himself out of the rut he is in? The fact that his main motivation is his attraction to his daughter's beautiful 16-year-old friend is a little disturbing, but she turns out to be someone quite different from what she pretends to be, and that relationship ended up being quite sweet and poignant. Lester is surrounded by characters who are mostly caricatures, including his ambitious, unfaithful wife and a neighbor who is hiding a dark secret. I will try not to reveal any spoilers, but just say that this movie is for all those who live their lives in quiet desperation. May you find the freedom that Lester Burnham did, without meeting the same end.

Hands down one of the best modern movies to date (2017). Disappointing to see the poor reviews; those people are too basic and clearly do not understand the complexities and challenges of the western culture, let alone the beauty that any and all life and lives can bestow, if you just open your eyes and heart and watch - like the plastic grocery bag dancing in the wind.

The progression from perfect suburbia to unhinged chaos is mesmerizing. Fantastic performances of unhappy people losing it as their veneer of normality crumbles. This completely out-of-the-box film portrays suburban lives with complex dynamics where everyone damages everyone else. Highly recommended.

I almost quit watching this film after the first 20 minutes or so, as the acting & entire tone of the film seemed somewhat stilted, as if trying to be quirkily off-the-wall and funny but not quite succeeding. But I hung in there, and was pleased to discover a curious fact: as the characters were forced to become more real and honest due to circumstances, so too did the whole film become more relaxed, real & honest. It was amazing to watch, how a filmmaker can reflect the stilted facade that people maintain, in the very style of the film. When the people were hiding their true feelings, the film style felt fake, vaguely cartoonish. But once circumstances forced them to peel away their false fronts, to drop the social personae acquired after years of sameness, years of predictability, years of serving expectations, the acting became stellar and real. For this alone, this film merits a high rating.

All families have secrets and sometimes the interaction between members can boil over into negative interactions and disaster. I liked the movie and as always, when two people genuinely love each other, love prevails.